A Senate committee has thrown cold water on the Trump administration’s controversial plan to transfer the nation’s air traffic control system from the Federal Aviation Administration to a private non-profit organization. (www.govexec.com) Más...

As a long time FAA contractor, this privatization scheme has no clear purpose which is what worries me. The system is a safe (way safe) as constituted and modernization is well under way (slowly but I am not sure that is a bad thing). On my watch, all of the NAS computer systems were replaced with modern equipment and GPS is being integrated with ATC operations as we speak. I suspect the motives of the administration and the House and why would we want to trust the airlines with more influence. ATC's are arguably the weirdest group of people you would ever want to meet (the only group that is weirder are IT people which is what I am) but with few exceptions, they do their job with incredible passion and never lose sight of the mission. Yes, there are problems with FAA management but these are open to the light of day and can and are being addressed. The system is a national asset which works just fine and there is no reason to give it away.

So, they say that "GA" will have a "Place at the table? With the big-money airlines at the same table, who is ever going to listen to GA or take any of their recommendations? I don't see how it will ever be "equal".

Nope it won't be equal. The airlines will become the masters and commanders of ATC, airports, and the airspace system. GA has been losing its place at the table for 20 years and in my lifetime I'm sure the airlines will finally win and GA will be gone forever.

What you say may be true, on its face, but what GA does represent should, if anything, have a much larger role.

What GA does represent are the non-flying public, (ie every citizen) that benefits from an open and equal and unfettered access to interstate air commerce. We all benefit. Using the Nash modifications to Adam Smith's theories, we all gain, if we act in our own best interests, AND in the best interest of society.

An air traffic control organization run by the airlines, with decreasing input from the general public over time will result in all of us, flying and not-flying public alike. They will act in their own best interests as their history (from Pan Am to United) has repeatedly and amply demonstrated. Do you really want an airline that sells you a non-refundable shoebox to sit in, then decides it wants its seat back and dumps you without notice far from home, in charge of access to the airways??

Why doesn't POTUS just put Anne Coulter in charge of the privatation commitee?She would reduce the burden on airlines and ATC by simply refusing service to Mexicans, muslums, leberals, catholics, LGBT folks and anyone who isn't from her USA or white.THINK of how much of a load THAT would take off ATC!I DON'T TRUST THIS ADMINISTRATION TO DO ANYTHING RIGHT...

DONALD;Please keep you tiny hands off our ATC.They smell like the pier, anyway!

Remember there are some Government organizations that should not be for profit, Military, Police and ATC. Privatization is a fun word but when corporations have to choose between profits vs safety profits win. Keep ATC and lets keep the skies safe

SIU has a program. Costs almost as much as med school. Buddy of mine was in it. Got a ton of debt. Ended up (and still is) flying for some South American charter. Says every time he applies for a US carrier they pick a military guy or a minority. He is in 73's

Happened to me quite a lot, although I no longer fly. Most of my flying career was spent overseas and I have NO idea how I was able to obtain two ATPs , various validations, several type ratings from B737NG, B767 and classic 747 and fly cargo and pax on all continents except S. America but was not good enough for an interview with any US legacy carriers because I did not have a buddy there! Sure, we are all "equal opportunity" employers! But some are more equal than others...........good news was I never had ANY pilot training debt because I did not play that game. I just got experience overseas and flew some pretty interesting aircraft as well as some nice international layovers in places not a lot of people go to.

The users DO pay for Air Traffic Control services. The payment mechanism is the fuel tax collected on every gallon of fuel put into the tank. And general aviation plans often fly VFR and use no services but pay the tax anyway. With privatization you can bet my credit card will be charged every time I use radio or file a flight plan, but the fuel tax isn't likely to be repealed, is it?

Good to support term limits for congressional members, but doesn't have to do with this. A whopping 63% of federal spending is on 3 things (medicare/medicaid, social security, and defense). Anyone supporting privatization of the program for deficit spending reductions is akin to stopping a tank with a bunch of spitwods.

Privatization likely will do more to hurt smaller, regional airports and GA than anything else. Big bucks get put I to big airports and everyone else withers on the vine.

This was a bad idea just look at the EU ATC they go on strikes and have nothing any where what we have in quality of service. Some things should not be left to the private sector this is one. Get over it.

Thks...no issues up here with GA craft (many small airports especially in north country where air only transit exists)...and Transport Canada didn't "gift" anything but I shall take a listen to that podcast.

Yup, both Canada and the UK were reimbursed for the infrastructure they received. The US plan just transfers all air traffic infrastructure to the private company with no reimbursement to the government. Canadian air traffic services are a completely different animal then US air traffic services, it really is almost apples and oranges. Canadian services are effectively subsidized by the foreign flights overflying Canadian airspace. It is not really a feasible way of subsidizing the US system we just don't have the same level of international overflights.

Well that first sentence, transfer with no reimburesment, I can see why you would be against it...Canadian service isn't mostly subsidized by overflights and if the US adopted the same idea, thou I now see your point (and podcast) that they are too stupid to listen and do it properly.With the amount of domestic flights, international flights (both coming and going), and size of craft entering the US, done properly it could work (notice I said done properly..lol) but seeing that podcast...SMH

Because people don't like CHANGE. People put on the blinders when they hear or see the word CHANGE. Nobody wants to listen to reason so instead we'll keep living in our little entitlement bubbles where it's all about ME ME ME.

The issue with the EU ATC isnt so much the ATC itself but rather Eurocontrol, which is governments run entity...7 times out of 10, I don't think the right hand knows what the left hand is doing and that can be aggrevating to controllers...I do agree that gives them no right to strike

It is incredibly short sighted, unrealistic and selfish to believe that government services are some sort of cafeteria where you get to choose what you pay for. I don't live in Louisiana but are you telling me that we have no responsibility to our fellow citizens for the impact of Katrina or for the system that protects you every time you fly? There is such a thing as the greater good. You are entitled to your opinion but to it is ridiculous puffery to argue your narrow interests should be the test of all things government.

The point is the government is TOO BIG. Big Brother has its grip on WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. We don't need government to run and pay for ATC. We don't need government to run and pay for HEALTH CARE. We don't need the government to run and pay for EDUCATION, SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE.

Shall I keep going?

I'm guessing you're a democrat. Where the answer is spend spend spend on anything and everything the government could possibly meddle with.

If you truly feel the government spends too much, why are you so for them giving billions of dollars of land, buildings, computers, and a ton of other infrastructure for free to a private corporation. Shouldn't that entity pay for the infrastructure it needs to operate? Billions of your tax dollars just given to the airline CEO's that are going to be running this system, and that's ok? You seem very selective in your idea of stopping wasteful spending.

I am guessing you are one of those special individuals who benefited from government services and now in your dotage have decided no one else should have them. Drivel is easy to post, Scrooge. It only requires a keyboard and an Internet connection. Instead of trolling, you might try logic or common sense if either of these concepts has any meaning to you. I'll have the argument about ATC services if you had any constructive thoughts but blanket assertions regarding "Big Brother" do not qualify.

It is not the government that is TOO BIG its the politicians. Government Workers are doing their Jobs, it is the APPOINTED And Elected guys spending money on "special projects' that benefit the few. We Need to let individual politicians vote their conscience, not the PARTY LINE. Get rid of the so called Loyalty Oaths let the politicians vote their conscience, for their people who put them there and put order back into the congress.

Funny you should mention "too big" in your post. According to the current plans proposed, the non-profit corporation that will be given billions of dollars of infrastructure, no congressional oversight, and run by airline CEO's who can decide their own salaries' for doing this job, has no requirement to operate under budget and will be given too big to fail status so they can be given bailouts if they spend too much money.

Toll roads are in terrible shape across the country. Politicians take the money to fund local projects not road related and the tolls keep rising to pay for more programs and the roads are left to crumble.

So true, 9X19. The gov of Kansas (now headed to join the cluster dance in Washington) tried to transfer toll funds from the independent Kansas Turnpike authority to DOT, undoubtedly to be able to use another "slush fund" to offset his asinine tax policies. Perhaps by divine intervention, it was not approved and the Turnpike remains the best stretch of highway in the state.

Because taxpayers are benefiting from the system. You, crk112 benefit every time you buy something from eBay that comes from Asia. You benefit when you buy a fish that was air freighted from the coast, fresh off the boat. You benefit when you get fresh veggies at the grocer. Someone benefits when the blood you need to save your life from a car crash is shipped in a GA airplane to make sure there are adequate supplies when and where they are needed. Or the heart needed in Ann Arbor can get there from Des Moine for the transplant.

Just as they are benefiting from the highways and seaways. I would no sooner cede control of the high seas to the shipping companies either. We saw what happened in the 19th Century when the railroads controlled interstate commerce. It wasn't pretty and we were poorer as a nation for it.